Show everyone what a superstar you are by racking up BeingGirl points. The more active you are on the site—taking quizzes and polls, playing games, commenting on articles, and submitting questions to Ask the Experts—the more points you’ll earn.

From WebMD: Understanding Your Period and Menstrual Cycle

Getting your period is a rite of passage surrounded by whispered rumor and
mystery. Some girls dread it. Others can't wait. But all girls menstruate, and
it helps to understand what's going on. Here are answers to seven common
questions about a girl's period.

Why Do You Have a Period?

During the month, blood builds up in the lining of your uterus, which will
help a baby develop when you're older and want to have a family. It's a natural
process, says Sharon Horesh Bergquist, MD, at the Emory School of Medicine in
Atlanta.

Most of the time, a fertilized egg is not implanted in your uterus, and the
blood sheds out of your body during your monthly period.

What's Really Going On?

All kinds of changes occur in your body during your menstrual cycle. “The
thing that makes it all happen is hormones,” says Atlanta pediatrician Deborah
Pollack, MD. “You get hormone surges at night, with higher and higher and higher
peaks, until your period begins.”

Raised levels of hormones helps eggs grow in your ovaries. Each month, one
egg is released into your Fallopian tubes. This is called ovulation. The egg
travels down the tube to your womb. And while this happens, your uterine lining
thickens with blood -- just in case an egg is fertilized by sperm.

If the timing is right, the egg and sperm join together, and the fertilized
egg attaches to the lining of your uterus. Pregnancy begins. Without a
fertilized egg, the thickened lining has no purpose. So it sheds and comes out
through your vagina. Your period has arrived.

When Will You Get Your Period?

The average age to start your period is 12, but many girls start younger,
and others start later. "When you first start to get breasts and some pubic
hair, you can usually jump forward two years and guess that’s when you’ll start,
says Pollack.

“It might take up to two years for your period to get regular because the
hormone surges are uneven,” Pollack says. At first, it's common to have one
period, and then not another for a few months. But even if you don't have a
period every month, you can still get pregnant.

Many girls start their periods around the same age as their mothers did. So
ask your mother when she started her period, and how it felt. If you haven't
started your period by age 16, you should talk to your doctor.

How Long Will Your Period Last?

“Every woman’s menstrual cycle is a little different,” says Bergquist. “But
the typical menstrual cycle lasts three to five days, although a few days
shorter or longer can still be normal."

Will You Get Cramps With Your Period?

Cramps can happen when your uterus contracts to help the shedded uterine
lining move out of your body. Not all girls have cramps, but if you do,
Bergquist says it helps to take anti-inflammatory pain relievers like ibuprofen
(Advil, Motrin, Nuprin) or naproxen (Aleve, Feminax, Midol). You can buy them at
any drugstore or supermarket. It also helps to place a heating pad on the area
that hurts, she says.

If you have bad cramps that don't get better with the pain relievers and
heating pad, talk to your doctor. Doctors can prescribe stronger or different
medicines that help ease cramps.

Will Your Period Affect Your Emotions?

You may have heard that girls and women can get grouchy, weepy, and
generally moody around the time of their periods. This is called PMS, and it's
caused by the same hormones that bring on menstruation. Some girls do feel
emotional changes around the time of their periods, but others don't.

“PMS can take on a variety of primarily psychological symptoms, such as mood
irritability and unhappiness, as well as physical symptoms, such as bloating,
breast tenderness, or constipation,” says Bergquist.

If you have PMS, Bergquist says it's important to get adequate sleep, avoid
caffeine, and try to eat low-sodium foods. Salt can make you bloat more. If a
healthy lifestyle doesn't help, talk to your doctor about medicines that can
help ease PMS symptoms.

Will Your Period Affect Your Emotions?

It’s a good idea to have a couple of tampons and sanitary pads stashed in
your locker or book bag in case your period starts when you don't expect it.
Bergquist also encourages girls to carry anti-inflammatory pain medicine for
cramps, and even a change of panties in case of an accident.

Once you’ve had your period for a while, you’ll see there's nothing
mysterious or embarrassing about it. It's part of the natural wonder of how a
woman's body works.

SOURCES:

Sharon Horesh Bergquist, MD, assistant professor of General Internal Medicine at
Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta.

my cramps hurt so bad I haven't started but I have cramps all the time and I have spotted 2 times can anyone help me!!

Basketball#15

Posted August 12, 2012

@Secretmermaid: I started in January and also occasionally get cramps. I have the same outlook on it too :) It definately isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

txtrgirl22222

Posted April 23, 2012

this was sorta helpful but i still wanna know some stuff!!!!!!!! ive started and have 2 many questions!!

Secretmermaid

Posted July 30, 2012

I started my period this year in January and i was sorta shocked but i didn't feel pain. Ocasionally i get cramps but anyone reading this, don't worry! It isn't as terrible as you think!once you get it, you kinda forget it's even there!I think it's kinda fun actually! :)

devilslax22

Posted June 27, 2012

THIS HELPED BUT I MIGHT START MON. AND I AM SUPER NERVOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!